Finger ring devices for manipulating bundling straps



Dec. 26, 1961 D. J. CRIMMINS ETA]. 3,014,506

FINGER RING DEVICES FOR MANIPULATING BUNDLING STRAPS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1960 LEFT f/lM/D INVENTORS- DAV/0 J. ae/MM/Ms BY Mil/e05 c. LOGAN ATTORNEK Dec. 26, 1961 D. J. CRIMMINS ETAI. 3,014,506

FINGER RING DEVICES FOR MANIPULATING BUNDLING STRAPS Filed Feb. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2/6/97 IVA/VD fig- 4 Z EFT HAND B MAURUS c. LOGAN A T TOKNE Y.

Dec. 26, 1961 D. J. CRIMMINS ETAI. 3,014,506

FINGER RING DEVICES FOR MANIPULATING BUNDLING STRAPS '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 8, 1960 INVENTORS. DA V/D J. C'P/MMl/V-S' MAI/P05 C. LOGAN ATTORNEY.

3,014,5ti6 FH IGER RHNG DEVlCEiE FUR MANIPULATENG BUNDLHNG STRAPS David J. Crirnrnins, Nutley, and Madras Q. Logan, Elizaheth, N.J., assignors to The Thomas & Betts Co.,

Elizabeth, N1, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 8, 1950, Ser. No. 7,162 7 Claims. ((Il. lath-93.2)

The invention relates to devices adapted to be worn on the hands of an operator for use in the manual manipulation of articles, and more particularly to a pair of ringlike members adapted to be disposed one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for use as a mechanical assistance in manually tensioning, tying or locking and terminating plastic bundling straps when looped about a plurality of articles arranged in bunched parallelism, as disclosed in a copending application Serial No, 744,267, filed June 24, 1958, and assigned to the same assignee as in this application.

Heretofore, bundling straps of the character herein identified were secured, for example, on and about electrical conductor harness at spaced intervals therealong with the aid of a hand tool of the character disclosed in a copending application Serial No. 837,089, filed August 31, 1959, also assigned to the same assignee as in this application.

Use of the above-identified hand tool in tying hundreds of bundling straps on and about electrical conductor harness, as in large aircraft applications, forexarnple, in-

volved the time-consuming disadvantage that the hand tool had to be put down for manually looping each successive strap about the harness and then picked up again for tensioning tying and terminating each successive strap therewith.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a pair of finger ring devices of the character herein de scribed wherein the use thereof is not subject to the abovenoted disadvantage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of finger ring devices of the character herein described, whereby, in the use thereof, the hands of an operator remain sufiiciently unencumbered to permit looping of a bundling strap about an electrical conductor harness preparatory to manipulating the looped end portion of the strap with said finger ring devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of finger ring devices of the character described, whereby in the use thereof an operator is enabled to apply and manipulate a much larger number of bundling straps on cable conductor harness in a shorter time interval than heretofore.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the herein described finger ring devices and the method of manually manipulating plastic bundling straps therewith. The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, being best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment thereof, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the finger ring device adapted to be mounted on the index finger of the right hand of an operator;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the finger ring device adapted to be mounted on the index finger of the left hand of an operator;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the finger ring devices as mounted on the index fingers of an operators hands and as seen facing the operator;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a bundling strap, as specified, being drawn taut after it has been looped Patented Dec..26, 1961 about a plurality of bunched articles. The finger-ring device on the left hand of the operator is utilized to hold the apertured end of the strap against the bunched articles while the finger-ring device on the right hand is utilized to draw the looped end portion of the strap relative thereto;

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of the finger-ring device on the left hand of an operator showing the hand turned approximately degrees to twist the looped end portion of the strap into alignment with andentry into the slot in the face of the head end of the strap to lock the same against relative reverse movement;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the looped end portion of the bundling strap held in twist-locked position as in FIG. 5, while the right hand of the operator is rotated counter-clockwise through approximately degrees from its position shown in FIG. 4, whereby to pass the slotted lateral extension of the finger-ring device thereon in inverted position over the strap in close proximity to the finger-ring device on the left hand and subsequently further rotating the right hand to cause a shearing action between the respective finger-ring devices to sever the extended end of the strap from its twist-locked portion held by the left hand finger-ring device;

FIG. 7 is a perspective View of the herein identified bundling strap per se, showing the same in looped position; and I FIG. 8 is a similar perspective view showing a portion of the extended free end of the strap twisted substantially into alignment with the rectangular slot provided therefor in the front face of its apertured head end to lock the same against relative movement, and with the surplus free end of the strap severed from its slot-engaging portion.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate, respectively, the complementary right and left hand finger-ring device constructed in accordance with the invention. The finger-ring devices 10 and 12 comprise annular band portions 14, having an internal diameter adapted to receive the index fingers of an operator snugly therethrough, as shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the outer periphery of each annular portion 14 being provided with a plurality of transversely extending teeth 16 adapted to exercise a gripping action on an article when brought into intimate contact therewith by the thumb of either hand. As best shown in FIG. 2, the left hand fingeraing device 12 includes a thumb rest 18 extending laterally of its annular portion 14, with its rear face flush with the inner periphery of its annular portion 14 and with its front face suitably knurled or serrated, as at 20, to provide a nonslip surface thereon.

With further reference to FIG. 2, the finger-ring de vice 12 is also provided with a boss 22, or equivalent on the outer periphery of its annular portion 14 throughout the width thereof and defining a transverse open-ended slot 24, for a purpose hereinafter described, and a flat, finger-like extension 26, disposed tangent to the annular portion 1 and forming one wall of the slot 24. The intermediate portion of the finger-like extension 26 is provided with an open-ended slot 28 extending transversely from one side margin thereof and adapted for guiding the body portion of a looped bundling strap 30 onto the toothed portion 16 of the finger-ring device 12, while the rear face of the finger-like extension 26 is in abutment with the head end 32 of thebundling strap 39, and for subsequently twisting the engaged body portion 34 of the strap 39, as in FIG. 5, into alignment with a slot 36 provided therefor in one face of the head end 32 of the strap Sit, in response to rotation of the finger-ring device 12 either to the right or left, whereby to lock the same against relative reverse movement.

Referring to FIG. 1, the right hand finger-ring device It includes a flat, transversely extending member 38 having one end thereof suitably secured, as by welding or brazing, to the outer periphery of its annular portion 14, tangent thereto, the secured end of the member 38 being provided with an open-ended slot 4t extending lengthwise thereof and adapted for receiving the body portion of a looped bundling strap 30 therein, in free guiding relation, as in FIG. 4. The free end portion of the fiat member 38 is also provided with an open-ended slot 42 extending lengthwise thereof and of sli htly greater length than the slot 40 in its fixed end, the said free end portion of the member 38 being adapted to be inserted into the slot 24 provided therefor in the finger-ring device 12, after the finger-ring device 10 has been rotated in the direction of the arrow from its upright position, as in FIG. 4, to its inverted position, as in FIG. 6, whereby the marginal edges defining respectively the open-ended slots 28 and 42 are positioned in shear relation. Thus, when the surplus free end portion of a looped bundling strap 3%, as in FIG. 7, extends beyond the cooperatively related finger-ring devices '10 and 12, as in FIG. 6, the surplus end portion of the strap 36 is severed from its looped portion by further rotating the right hand finger-ring device 10, counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow, while simultaneously urging the left hand finger-ring device 12 clockwise, whereby the adjoining marginal edges of the slots 28 and 42 exercise a shearing action on the surplus end portion of the strap 36, to terminate the extended end portion thereof adjacent the twist therein, as in FIG. 8.

In the use of the fingenring devices 1d and '12, each is mounted on the index finger of each hand of an operator, as exemplified in FIG. 3. While so mounted, the hands of the operator remain substantially unencumbered to the extent that a bundling strap 36 of the character identified may be readily looped manually about a plurality of elements arranged in bunched parallelism, as indicated at 44; the looped strap subsequently drawn taut, as exemplified in FIG. 4; a portion thereof subsequently twisted into locked position in the slotted face of the head end of the strap, as exemplified in FIG. and the extended, surplus end portion thereof finally severed from its looped and twisted portion, as exemplified in FIG. 6.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the inventive concept underlying the same. invention is not to be limited except as is necessitated by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A pair of finger-ring device adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for manipulating flexible, linear articles, said devices each including an article-gripping means, and an article-guiding means, one of said devices including an auxiliary means coextensive with said article guiding means adapted to be disposed in coactable relation with the guiding means on the other of said devices for severing an article in response to partial rotation of said devices toward each other.

2. A pair of finger-ring devices adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for manipulating flexible linear articles, said devices each including an article-gripping means, and an article-guiding means, one of said devices including an auxiliary means coextensive with said article guiding means adapted to be disposed in coactable relation with the guiding means on the other of said devices for severing an article in response to partial rotation of said devices toward each other, one of said devices including a thumb-engaging means for maintaining said one device in angular relation relative to said other device.

3. A pair of finger-ring devices adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for manipulating flexible linear articles, said devices each including an article-gripping means integral with the outer Therefore, theperiphery thereof, an article-guiding means integral with and tangent to the outer periphery of each of said devices, and auxiliary means integral with the guiding means of one of said devices adapted to be disposed in coactable relation with the guiding means of the other of said devices for severing an article in response to partial contrarotation of said devices, one of said devices including a thumb-engaging means for maintaining said one device in angular relation to said other device.

4. A pair of finger-ring devices adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for manipulating plastic bundling straps, said devices each including a. strap-gripping means integral with the outer periphery thereof, a strap-guiding means integral with and tangent to the outer periphery of each of said devices, and auxiliary means integral with the guiding means on one of said devices adapted to be disposed in coactable relation with the guiding means on the other of said devices for severing a strap in response to inverting one of said devices relative to said other device while urging said other device toward said inverted device, one of said devices including a thumb-engaging means for maintaining said one device in angular relation relative to said other device.

5. A pair of finger-ring devices adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for manipulating plastic bundling straps, said devices each including a strap-gripping means integral with the outer periphery thereof, a strap-guiding means integral with and tangent to the outer hery of each of said devices, auxiliary means co-extensive with the guiding means on one of said devices adapted to be disposed in coactable relation with the guiding means on the other of said devices for severing a strap in response to inverting the device mounting said auxiliary means relative to the other of said devices while urging said other device toward said inverted device, and a thumb-engaging means extending laterally from one end of said other device for maintaining said device in angular relation relative to the other one of said devices.

6. A pair of complementary finger-ring devices adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the hands of an operator for manipulating and tying plastic bundling straps on and about a plurality of articles disposed in bunched parallelism, said devices each comprising an annular band portion, a strap gripping means integral with a portion of the outer periphery of each of said devices, a strap guiding means integral with and tangent to the outer periphery of each of said devices including a transverse open-ended slot contiguous to the strap-guiding means on the device for the left hand index finger, a strap engaging means coextensive with the strap-guiding means on the device for the right hand index finger adapted to be disposed in the transverse slot in the device for the left hand index finger in inverted strap-engaging position, the strap-guiding means on the left hand device and the strap-engaging means on the right hand device being adapted to exercise a shearing action on a strap upon counterclockwise rotation of the right hand device while urging the left hand device in a clockwise direction, and a thumb-engaging means extending laterally from one end of the left hand device for maintaining its strap-guiding means in upright position relative to the left hand index finger.

7. A pair of finger devices adapted to be mounted one on each index finger of the right and left hand of an operator for manipulating plastic bundling straps, said devices each including a strap-gripping means integral with the outer periphery thereof, a strap guiding means integral with and tangent to the outer periphery of each of said devices including a transverse open ended slot contiguous to the strap guiding means on the device for the left hand index finger, a strap engaging means coextensive with the strap guiding means on the device for the right hand index finger adapted to be disposed in the transverse slot in said device for the left hand index finger in inverted position, the strap guiding means on the device for the left hand index finger and the strap engaging means on the device for the ribht hand index finger being adapted to exercise a shearing action on a strap upon counter clockwise rotation "of the device for the index finger of the right hand while urging the device for the index finger of the left hand in a counter clockwise direction, and a thumb engaging means extending laterally 10 from one end of the device for the index finger of the left hand for maintaining said device in relative angular Woodring et al. a- Dec. 4, 1956 

